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The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.

The Science Show

Astrophotographers have had another great month, with the aurora australis lighting up night skies as far north as southern Queensland.

And while you might've heard that the best of this bunch of auroras is behind us, don't put your camera away just yet. There's good reason to think the southern lights will illuminate the sky well into 2026.

It all depends on what the Sun shoots in our direction … and we might find ourselves in the firing line more often over the next few months.

Featuring:

Brett Carter, space weather researcher at RMIT University

More information:

The Sun Reversed Its Decades-long Weakening Trend in 2008

When the southern lights are seen further north

Lab Notes: Why aurora season isn't over yet

University departments of geology and geophysics are getting smaller or closing. So how will we find new mineral deposits?

Rare earth minerals – we’ll need geologists to find them

It looks like most of Australia is in for a warmer-than-usual summer this year.

That's according to the Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast, which was released in October.

So — without a crystal ball — how do meteorologists make weather predictions so far out, how accurate are they, and how is climate change affecting them?

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

Karl Braganza, National Manager of Climate Services at the Bureau of Meteorology

More information:

BOM's first long-range summer forecast shows increased chance of extreme heat

Lab Notes: How are long-range weather forecasts made?

In just 75 years the Earth’s average temperature is predicted to be close to 3 degrees above pre-industrial levels. We are in the fast lane to a different world, one that will not be friendly to the current range of plants and animals, including humans. The race is on to cool our overheating planet.

Bragg winners for science writing, more from the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science and water droplets used for geoengineering

Thanks in part to 18th-century nuns, we now know that having children and breastfeeding reduces a mum's risk of developing breast cancer for years, even until her kid is well into primary school.

Now Australian scientists have discovered how breastfeeding specifically enlists the immune system to protect against an aggressive and hard-to-treat type of breast cancer.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Sherene Loi, medical oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre 

Extra information:

Parity and lactation induce T cell mediated breast cancer protection

Having children and breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk by triggering immune system, study finds

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.

Lab Notes: How breastfeeding can protect against cancer

Robyn Williams reports from the 2025 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science ceremony in Parliament House Canberra.

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science and a dilemma over the appropriate use of artefacts from a Roman shipwreck

It's mid-afternoon and time for a treat! Do you choose a healthy piece of fruit, or do you head straight for the chocolate? 

It turns out that well before we consciously decide what we're going to eat, our brain has already weighed up our choices — and in a fraction of a second. 

Now a new study shows which food attributes are processed by our brain faster than others, and how this might influence our dietary decisions. 

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Violet Chae, PhD student at the University of Melbourne 

More information:

Characterising the neural time-courses of food attribute representations

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.

Lab Notes: How your brain chooses your next snack

We’ve built a picture of the evolution of biodiversity based on a few accessible fossils. But the real story may be very different.

The history of life on Earth may be very different to what we think

We have a mysterious visitor to our little patch of the cosmos this week: A comet called 3I/ATLAS. 

This icy, rocky ball is only the third interstellar object we've discovered zooming past our Sun. 

There are scientists who think the comet may be alien technology sent from another solar system to invade Earth, but space agencies poured cold water on this idea. 

So how will we know if we truly find evidence of extraterrestrial life? 

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Laura Driessen, radio astronomer at the University of Sydney 

Astronomers discover 3I/ATLAS — third interstellar object to visit our Solar System

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.

Lab Notes: Times we thought we found aliens

An additive in paint converts ultraviolet light into red light allowing plants to grow more producing higher yields, a boon for greenhouse agriculture.

Paint additive boosts plant growth in greenhouses

* Black hole images allow theories to be tested* Journals slow to act despite evidence of scientific fraud or misconduct* Parrots and humans – extreme species with shared behaviours* New technology brings new life to exhibits at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery* Vale Caroline Jones

Parrots and humans – extreme species with shared behaviours and first image of the black hole at the centre of our galaxy

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